


Now I'm Shining Too

by lovelikefools (quietphan)



Category: Big Brother RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-03-02 16:50:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2819327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietphan/pseuds/lovelikefools
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Working as a barista at Starbucks is not Zach’s dream job, but it helped pay the bills...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Now I'm Shining Too

**Author's Note:**

> I just thought we needed a coffeeshop au and then my brain took off. Sorry about the tenses, my writing style is a mess.

Working as a barista at Starbucks is not Zach’s dream job, but it helped pay the bills. His small apartment was unbelievably overpriced, and as a student, he would happily accept any income he could get at this point. 

Zach is in the middle of an eight hour shift when he sees him for the first time.

The man is incredibly loud, charging into the store with a newspaper in one hand and his iPhone raised in the other. It takes Zach a moment to realize that the man, who has shockingly pink hair, is actually in the newspaper, and he's showing all the other customers the picture. Zach quickly refocuses his attention on the drink he was making.

Ten minutes later, he calls out a drink for a Frankie. If his eyes linger on the man as he walks away, it's only because he's so unusual. Right?

-

The next time Zach sees Frankie, it's about two weeks later. It's early afternoon. Zach is preparing to take his lunch break when he walks in.

Frankie is sitting at a table alone with his coffee, eyes glued to his phone. Zach doesn't realize what he's doing until he already done it. Frankie could have been waiting for someone. There were plenty of empty tables at the moment. But without lingering on any other thought, Zach approaches Frankie's table.

"Hey. I'm Zach. Do you mind if I sit with you?"

Frankie looks up surprised, but smiles and waves a hand toward the seat opposite him. 

"Sure. I'm Frankie."

The next thing they know, Zach's manager is coming over to the table to tell Zach is lunch ended five minutes ago. Zach jumps up, panicked, but before he can run back to the counter, Frankie catches his attention.

"This has been really nice. Maybe we can do it again sometime?"

Zach barely suppresses a blush and nods. He doesn't have time to process that reaction. He has to get back to work before he gets fired.

-

Frankie starts coming to see him everyday at lunch. They talk about everything they can possibly think of. Zach tells Frankie all about his family in Florida, who he misses a lot, but he loves the city too much to ever go back for good. Frankie mentions his grandparents live in Florida and they take turns gushing over NYC.

They discuss school and work. Zach doesn't really know what he wants to do with his life, but he figures getting a degree is a good start. Frankie mentions that he's between shows on Broadway, and he's started a YouTube channel, though he doesn't think it will be all that successful. It's just something of a hobby for him right now. Zach tells him he knows his videos must be great. Frankie is hilarious.

One day, Frankie mentions an ex-boyfriend in passing. This somehow leads to a discussion about sexuality and coming out. Zach is enthralled and terrified at the same time. Frankie doesn't push him to add anything to the conversation, though they both wonder if the other feels the strange tension between them.

-

The flirting during their lunches picks up as time passes. Frankie starts to stop by after Zach's shift ends too. He lets Frankie walk him back to his apartment. They talk, crack jokes, and giggle, all while glancing subtly at the other's lips when they know it won't be noticed.

Frankie leaves Zach's apartment one day knowing that he's falling in love with this man. He just doesn't know what to do about it. It's the most amazing friendship he's ever had with someone. He's not even sure that Zach can feel that way about him.

Zach walks into his apartment and drops himself on to the couch. He's never felt this way about anyone before, let alone a guy. He doesn't know what that makes him, or what to do about these feelings. All he knows is that he could spend his whole life hanging out with Frankie and never get sick of him. He hopes he gets the chance to test that theory.

-

After 6 months of constant lunch "dates", walks home, and texts throughout the day, it all changes. 

It starts when Frankie misses a lunch date. Zach shakes it off. Something must have come up. He got busy with something and just didn't have time to send a text. No big deal.

But he doesn't see Frankie the following day either, and he gets no response to any of his text messages or voicemails. He doesn't know where Frankie lives. He doesn't know why he would just stop talking to him without any warning.

Zach is terrified that he did something wrong. But for the most part, he misses his best friend.

With school over for the semester, Zach has nothing to do but go to work and stare at the door, hoping each jingle of the bell will be Frankie coming to see him. But it never is.

-

By July, Zach feels like he's going insane. He hasn't heard from Frankie in a month. He decides that he needs to go visit his family in Florida. Maybe he'll tell them what happened and maybe he won't, but he needs to get out of the city and away from his sorrows for a while. Zach just needs to clear his head.

His mother can tell something is wrong the moment he walks in the door but she doesn't call him out on it directly. Zach is thrilled to hang out with his little brother and get his mind off of Frankie for a while.

It's about three days into the trip when his mom finally tries to talk with him.

"So, what's going on with you?" She asked in that tone mothers use when they know you're hiding something from them.

"I really don't want to talk about it," Zach tries his hardest to get out of this conversation.

His mom just shrugs. "Fine. Do you want to watch Big Brother with me?"

Zach nods. If anything will help him now, it will be quality time with his mom and reality television.

The show is already a few weeks into the season so his mom starts to catch him up before she turns on the latest episode. Zach runs into the kitchen to make popcorn while she turns the TV on. And then he hears it.

"I am so happy I won HOH because now I know I am safe for the week!" the voice comes through the speakers in the living room.

Zach runs toward it but the screen had already changed. "Who was that?!" He all but yelled at his mother. She looked at him like he had gone insane. 

"His name is Frankie. I thought you hadn't watched this season?"

Zach's mind is racing. What are the odds? Is his Frankie really in the Big Brother house? Is that why he hasn't heard from him? It made sense. But really what were the chances?

Ignoring his mother's questioning, he sat down on the couch and waited for the man to be shown again. He could barely contain his reaction when he was sure. That man was the Frankie he had fallen in love with.

-

Zach becomes obsessed with Big Brother. He finds and watches every YouTube video with Frankie in it that he can possibly find. He ends up buying himself the live feeds. He checks social media to keep up with anything he missed. His family is surprised by his sudden enthusiasm for a show that he's watched with his mother for years, but Zach doesn't seem as sad all of the sudden, so they try not to draw attention to their feelings on the matter.

Zach has to get back to New York soon. He starts to spend his lunch breaks at Starbucks watching Frankie on the feeds while sitting at the table they used to share. Zach thinks maybe he should be worried about his behavior lately but he doesn't really think there are rules for a situation like this. He just knows he misses Frankie a lot and it makes him feel better to see him however he can.

-

There is a day the following week that kicks Zach's ass. He messes up three different drink orders and gets yelled at by a middle aged woman when the temperature of her drink is not precisely to her liking. He gets home that night, completely exhausted and wishing that he could tell Frankie about his day. He would probably find some joke to make about it and make everything seem brighter. 

As is Zach's routine when he feels this way, he opens his laptop and logs into the live feeds. Frankie and a couple other houseguests are sitting around the backyard. They're talking about love and relationships. Zach is suddenly glued to the screen.

"What about you, Frankie? Special boy back home?"

Frankie looks right at the camera that is live. Zach gets chills.

"Maybe. I had this really intense thing with a barista at my regular Starbucks. I don't even know if he's gay. I'm kind of in love with him?"

The girls gush for a moment over how cute the story will be if it all works out but Zach can tell that Frankie is feeling dejected. He wants more than anything to hug him and tell him that he feels the same. 

Zach cries himself to sleep that night.

-

The week before jury is going to start, Frankie's luck runs out. He loses both the HOH and he veto competitions. His alliance turns on him. He's definitely being evicted this week. Zach is upset for Frankie, especially now that the whole house was ignoring him. At the same time though, he was grateful. This meant that Frankie would be home soon.

For the next three days, Zach looks up every single time the door opens at work. And for three days, he is extremely disappointed.

On the fourth day, right as Zach starts his lunch break, the door opens. There stands a nervous looking Frankie.

Zach is out of his seat before he even thinks, crossing the room quickly, wrapping his arms around Frankie, and pulling him into the air. Frankie laughs into his ear. "Oh my god, I missed you." 

Zach sets Frankie down and tucks his face into his hair.

"God. I missed you too," Zach whispers seriously.

"I'm so sorry I didn't get to tell you I was leaving! I was-" Frankie started to explain himself.

Zach just pulls him into another hug. "I know. Don't worry."  
They decide to make plans to catch up later, as Zach has to get back to work. Frankie kisses his cheek on the way out and Zach feels like he's flying. 

Frankie comes back and walks him home after his shift. They both sit in Zach's living room and can't keep their eyes off of one another.

Zach finally breaks the silence and tells Frankie all of what happened after he stopped showing up for lunch. When he mentions he watched the feeds just about all the time, Frankie's eyes go wide.

"Then...did you hear me talk about you?" 

Zach nods. Frankie's head hits his hand. "Oh no. I'm sorry. I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be." Zach tell him. And then they stare. And then they lean. And the next thing they know, their lips have met in the middle and they're kissing.

They pull away, both shocked and pleased at what's just happened. Frankie breaks the silence between them this time. 

"I've never felt like this about anyone before." He blurts. Zach says the feeling is totally mutual.

"Oh. So...be my boyfriend?"

All Zach can say is "Duh Rose" before they're kissing again.

That night when Frankie returns to his apartment, he sits down to film a post BB vlog for his channel. He talks about what the house was like and his regrets in the game. But he decides to end things on a more personal level.

"I may have lost the game, but I won a lot of your hearts, and the heart of one man in particular. So, I think it's still a win for me. Shine bright like a Frankie. Bye." He blows a kiss at the camera.


End file.
